Rebuild Christchurch- Habitat for Humanity

I just finished a week working with Habitat for Humanity in Christchurch on Earthquake Relief. It has been an amazing experience- I have met amazing people and now have felt and seen the power and effects of earthquakes; it has also been a very revealing process- the physical destruction and effects upon families have been devastating.

My first night I was briefed about Habitat Christchurch. They have a strict outline as to who they can help- this includes- age restrictions, non-insured status, and they must be home owners, they must also be in the green zone. As part of the recovery process Christchurch has been divided into several zones designating the amount of damage- they are assigned colors

Green- habitable, may need some repairs

Red- not habitable, most things will be knocked down.  

White- in a state of engineering flux- not being worked on. 

The main focus of that conversation was that we were they to fix lives not just houses.

On Monday we worked on adding another layer to a foundation to make it level. It was pretty cool to see how we added rebar to connect the two layers as well as how we made the frame for the concrete. I had a nice conversation with the owner, and told him the only natural disasters we have are tornadoes- which they don't really have here. We finished the day with a generous meal, I think this is going to be a very rewarding week. I have also learned a little about house building and complying to code- which looks very difficult. No wonder we need carpenters. Also, it is so important when building to ensure that everything is square- if not it can really mess up things later. 

On the the ride to the build I learned about the a house in Sumner that is almost falling off a cliff. I hope we can drive by it. Look at those strata below.

The following day I helped fix cracks in walls, painted buildings, and helped fix cracks in foundations, I was everywhere. It was great to see the homes transformed into livable spaces again and give them back to families. One family that I will especially remember is a Japanese couple with three adorable girls. One of the people I was working with just happened to be named Tom. So when  they heard us be referred to as "Tom and Jerry" the little girls just cracked up. It was great to see that project get finished.

I also felt 5 earthquakes- one of which was a 4.2 and another which was a 5.2. We also saw the effects of liquefaction- which is when the earth shakes so much that solid material becomes soupy and buildings can easily shift in it. By the end of the week earthquakes just felt like another way of life to me.

I also met this cool school group from a university in the north Island. They were a pretty cool- easy going group of students studying to be builders.

Overall it was an incredible experience and I would recommend it to anybody who has a spare week in NZ.

Christchurch- land of the Earthquake(s)

We arrived to Christchurch on Saturday night. The next day we were able to walk around town a little before it was time to drop me off at Habitat Christchurch. The town is still very much in the process of recovering from the earthquake last year. The whole of down-town is still shut down- RED ZONE. There have been 10,000 aftershocks since the big earthquake in September 2010, the deadly earthquake was a few months later. We were going to visit the Canterbury Museum, which was open last month- it was closed due to Earthquakes, as are many art galleries. However, the city is recovering. As part of the recovery they have built an outdoor mall using shipping containers. it is pretty neat. On the whole my friends agree that it is nicer then Dunedin- which I miss dearly.

A tower top

And its tower

Brazing up the Museum walls

Container Mall!

Container mall

When I got dropped off at Habitat Christchurch someone took me on a walk to the nearby pier. On the way we looked at the damage. There are large green tubs lining the corners of streets- you might think they were for water- thing again. They were for human waste! And they still are here! I also saw some things affected by liquefaction. The roads have sunk around bridges which had better foundations and did not move as much. I also saw homes boarded up and shut down. Some gas tanks were forced to the surface by it. I also saw a building that was lying askew in the ground. This is still very much a city that is recovering. However it still retains some beauty, which I was able to capture at the pier and along my walk home.

Liquefaction- very powerful

The Pier

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The Library

The top was removed by the 

Earthquake

Black Swans

At the end of that day I had experienced 4 earthquakes. One of which was a Richtor 4.8! The building I was in visibly shook for a few seconds. Fortunately everything was fine, but this was the biggest quake sine January. Good timing on my part. Click on this link if you want to see how I am being shook in Christchurch: Look at the latest Christchurch Earthquakes Here! 

Hokitika, Arthurs Pass

The gorge

Hokitika

The day after the glacers we went to Hokitika, the arts and crafts capitol of New Zealand. We also visited a gorge on our way there, it had the strangest turquoise color. It was probably fed by glaciers. That, however, did not stop one of my friends from jumping onto it.

You have to agree- the colors are fascinating!

After Hokitika we made out way back to the East Coast via Arthurs Pass National Park. We saw Kea along the way and also saw some waterfalls. To be honest, I think I am water-falled out, they have almost lost their thrill to me. On the way down the mountains- but still in the pass we stopped and went star-gazing. It was a prefect night. No moon, or light pollution--just the outline of the mountains and the stars around us. We finished the night by arriving on time in Christchurch and treating ourselves to Thai food, which I have decided is the next delicacy that I am going to conquer.

That's right- the sign says "Death's Corner

Death's corner

The kea were just hanging out on the road- no idea why- but they are beautiul

A Kea on a Kea

Trying to go for our car

Devils Punch Bowl Falls. 

Did I forget to mention New Zealand's strange obsession with one way bridges- I  have now crossed dozens of them. 

Franz Josef Glacier

After Fox Glacier we made out way to Franz Josef Glacier. The larger and more popular of the two glaciers. The glacier varies greatly, and has grown and receded several kilometers in the past century. One thing that I can say about it for sure is that it is gorgeous. 

The parking lot is in the upper left corner, the glacier  is in the bottom center. 

I just love the undulations in the shistosity- I just thought this was a gorgeous sight. 

Glacial striations- I found them!- Finally I have also found the glacier too!

Me and waterfall

The dirty sections are where landslides fell onto it. 

Kettle lake- created when the glacier carved it out. 

Parting View

After seeing the glaciers we went for our first view of the West Coast and the Tasman see. We were there for Sunset, not quite as good as sunrise but still pretty magical. The west coast is definitely more violent and rocky then the east coast. The rocks moved by the waves (which are many and frequent) are big and move quite easily- they hurt! But still- a great place to find more rocks to add to my collection. Still not sure how I am going to get them home.